Pirate & Sailor Infused Bedroom Decor

When we purchased our home last August, after decorating the living room, my son’s room was the next priority on my list. I initially started out with a pirate theme, but found a few awesome sailor pieces so I combined the two into a fabulous sea adventure for my 4 year old whom is a huge pirate fan! Check out the photos and my design inspiration below!

Design Inspiration

My inspiration started with the adorably fun loft bed style we selected. Then I purchased and created items based upon the pirate/sailor theme. The color theme I decided to go with was black/brown, red, blue, and white.

Decorating Style

As many of you already know, I love to work with my hands and do arts and crafts, so for me it’s all about DIY! This room decoration project included a couple DIY projects along with some awesome creative purchases I found during my online and in-store shopping searches.

Room Decor Details

Purchased Items

The adorably fun loft bed we purchased for a very reasonable price online at Hayneedle. The cute pirate blanket, sheet set, pirate Octopus, blue area rug, and pirate lamp I purchased at Target. The awesome custom art wall decal I purchased on Amazon through an international seller named GECKOO. I bought the pirate hat, pirate keys, wooden ship wheel, and wood anchor wall hooks through various Amazon vendors. I purchased the 3 wall frames and tack board from Home Goods and we had luckily saved the pirate map from a friend’s birthday party. I found the sailor ship at Living Spaces and unfortunately I can’t recall where I purchased the black pirate ship.

DIY Projects

I took 2 pieces of cut wood, painted them, and then used a sander to make them looked aged. I then hung them up on the wall and placed the ship’s on top of them.

I put the pirate map and a pirate place card I had previously made on the memory board and hung it up on the wall in between the ships.

I purchased letters from Michael’s, painted them, and then took these sponge-like swords I purchased, add my son’s initial to each end, and then adhered the swords and letters KEEP OUT on his door using a sticky adhesive.

Advice

Think about what components you want to include, the space that you are working with, the color theme for the room, and then start searching online or at local stores that carry room decor and craft items for pieces that you can either make or purchase to complete your look. The most important part is to start with a plan and have a good idea of what items you would like to include and then go from there!

I hope you enjoy my interior decorating as much as I enjoyed creating, designing, and organizing it! I was completely satisfied with the outcome and definitely think this theme would be perfect for a toddler, kid, boy, or even girl (modify the color theme if you like). I really enjoy this interior decorating thing so stay tuned for more DIY inspiration from yours truly!

Spring Wedding with Pops Of Color & Bling to Match

I was ecstatic to be selected by Gwen Meyers to plan her and her fiance’s special day! After our initial consult, I kicked of our planning journey with an inspiration board that visually captured her described perfect wedding day – purple, fuchsia, and bling! I must say she was in love with the visual and we spent the next 12 months making her lovely vision a reality. Today I would like to share this beautiful wedding that was featured on MUNALUCHI BRIDE with you. You’ll hear from me and you’ll hear from the bride – bon appetite!

{DEETS FROM THE WEDDING PLANNER – Elvira DeCuir}

This beautiful Southern CA wedding took place at a very unique and beautiful venue, a neighboring Episcopal church and a Masonic lodge, which made a rather lovely combination for the exchange of wedding vows between this Bride & Groom. The church’s gorgeous ceiling-to-floor stained-glass windows made for a jaw-dropping entrance for the bride, and the reception hall’s hilltop location provided amazingly beautiful views of the local port and surrounding areas. You’ll notice that a lovely shade of purple plus beautiful pops of fuchsia infused with rhinestone elements were used to decorate the church and the reception hall. The Bride’s chosen color palette and beloved bling were complimentary and absolutely stunning when paired together. In addition to these beautiful elements — the draping, lighting, floral arrangements, candles, lovely wedding stationary, adorable Bride & Groom cake pops, fun photo booth, great weather, fabulous food, great song selections & DJ, and the joyous love witnessed between the bride and groom — were the perfect ingredients combined for a FABULOUS and BEAUTIFUL wedding in the historical port community of San Pedro. Enjoy the beautiful pictures below by the talented Cary Pennington!

{DESCRIPTION IN THE WORDS OF THE BRIDE – GWEN MEYERS (now GIVENS)}

Our Wedding Day

The morning of my wedding day I awoke with this calm that I hadn’t had the night before. Actually the night before I was really nervous, I am not sure why because I’ve know my soon-to-be husband for almost a decade and there was nothing that I wanted to do more than to marry this man — the love of my life. On my wedding day, I couldn’t wait to see the man of my dreams waiting for me at the altar. While I was getting my make-up done and thinking about my upcoming nuptials, I felt at peace about everything. Anyone who knows me will tell you that for being an A-type personality, this was truly rare for me. I definitely give the credit to my wedding planner, Elvira DeCuir, who took care of every detail and made it very easy for me to stay in the moment and enjoy my wedding day worry-free. As my bridesmaids and I made our way to the church for the ceremony I was so overjoyed with the notion of finally marrying my best friend that a wave of emotion overtook me. When it was finally my turn to walk down the aisle, I immediately locked eyes with my fiancé and that was it — the whole world around me disappeared except for him. The day that I had waited for was finally here. Our marital vows were traditional and with every word my heart filled with so much joy that I couldn’t wait to kiss him. It seemed like forever, but finally we were pronounced man and wife and I got to kiss the man of my dreams and call him my husband.

The Details

The wood details and innate beauty of the church required very little decor, so when I saw the aisle runner and freeze dried rose petals placed perfectly down the aisle, I was overwhelmed with emotion. The church looked absolutely beautiful and it was the perfect setting to say, “I DO”. Before the ceremony, I had the chance to walk into the reception hall and I was truly amazed! I am not sure how my wedding planner, draper, and caterer pulled it off, but it exceeded my expectations and turned out to be more than I could have imagined. Lovely purples and sassy bright pinks with the touch of silver and bling beautifully filled the room. My flowers and floral arrangements were perfect, the details were on-point, and immediately I fell in love with the room. It was at that moment that I knew it was going to be an amazing day, the wedding day that I had always dreamed of.

During the planning process my main source of inspiration for the cake, invitations, decor, etc., was Pinterest and I also got a lot of wonderful ideas from my wedding planner’s blog ( http://3D-Memoirs.com). I must admit that I was in love with her blog even before I got engaged. I loved Elvira’s style and ideas so much that after my mother she was the next person I told that I was getting married and the first person I hired for my wedding. We made a great team. She owned the planning process and helped me every step of the way from securing my vendors, providing ideas for DIY projects, decor and other wedding details, to helping me with making some difficult decisions throughout the planning process.

My fun DIY project for the wedding was glass cylinder vases wrapped in rhinestone ribbon, filled with crystals and a floating candle, and surrounded by pink, purple, and clear crystals. (These items were purchased from Shinoda Design Center and Hobby Lobby.)

I can’t tell you how amazing my wedding day was to me! The day was beautiful, everything was perfect, and I would love to do it over and over again. I know it may sound a bit cliche but this was truly the best day of my life!

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful wedding as much as I enjoyed being a part of it and making this bride and groom’s wedding dreams a reality! The wedding day went beautifully and flawlessly just as planned! If you are interested in working with me in planning your special day, please CONTACT ME for a FREE initial consultation!

{It’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog. As we all know at times life can be hectic and pull us in other directions, however I’ve never stopped loving event decor nor have I stopped planning events or parties – I just haven’t had the opportunity to share with you in awhile. Keep an eye out over the next couple months as I’ve got a few events I’d like to share with you on the blog!} XOXO ~ Elvira

Madagascar 3: Circus Themed Birthday Party

Those that have been following me for some time know that I go all out every year for my son’s birthday party. His 1st birthday was a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme, his 2nd birthday was a Jake & the Neverland Pirates theme, and for his 3rd birthday last year I went all out with a Madagascar 3 Circus themed birthday party! This year’s party was over-the-top, full of DIY projects, fun, wild, colorful, and full of sugary, sweet delectable goodies = guaranteed success.

As usual I made sure that I didn’t miss a planning detail or decor element and Natalie from Natalie Isabel Photography did an amazing job capturing all of the creative party details that you will see below. After I decided on this year’s theme for my son’s birthday party, I went to work on creating the invitation.

FOOD

When it came to food, I decided to stick with the theme to start the guests were able to help themselves to salted shelled peanuts or buttery popcorn. When it came to lunch I stayed simple and went with a hot dog and hot link bar with all the fix in’s, chips, and veggie tray.

DESSERT TABLE

The dessert table was my pride and joy, I’m just surprised I was able to keep all the guests at bay until it was time to enjoy the delicious goodies. The dessert table consisted of the following tasty goodies: Cracker Jacks, cotton candy, animal crackers, bundtinis (lemon, red velvet, chocolate, and white raspberry flavors), cake from Albertson’s. I created a Circus backdrop with pinwheels for the table, a birthday banner, tassel garland, a painted decorative tub, colorful circle cutouts, decorative tags for all the items, and a yellow fringe swag to go across the cake. The favors were adorable large lollipops I got from the 99 cent store adorned with creative stickers I made on Moo to fit the circus theme! (Click on the photos below to view a larger detailed picture.)

DECOR & DIY

Other decor and DIY projects besides the dessert table were the centerpieces (birthday hats, balloons, mini gum ball machines, Madagascar cutout, colorful circle cutouts, Madagascar confetti), hanging window and door fringes, Madagascar 3 birthday sign, flag bunting, food place cards, photo booth backdrop, photo props and sign, framed signs for the balloon artist and makeup artist, framed Madagascar, & wood welcome sign! Also, there is one more important detail that really turned the party space into a circus theme and that was the colorful and affordable beautiful linens from Linen Tablecloth! From the pumpkin round table cloths for the guests table, to the vibrant red, to the gorgeous ivory linen tablecloths – it really brought my party to life! (The really do offer quality linens at very affordable prices, I encourage you to consider using them for your next event.)

ENTERTAINMENT

Since January weather is always unpredictable in southern CA, I decided to book an inside venue. However, my challenge was how do I entertain 25 kids indoors without going crazy and running around like a crazy lady! So, I made the best decision ever and decided to hire entertainers for the birthday party. I hired a local children’s entertainment company called Creative Parties for an hour. Lisa, the owner, was great to work with – flexible, personable, creative, experienced, and caring. She was really great at listening to my needs and wants for the party and deciding upon great entertainers and entertainment that were a perfect match for our circus themed party. We had 3 party entertainers show up – a clown, lion, and helper with a top hat. These entertainers were awesome and the kid’s loved them from the beginning! They sang songs, played games, did activities, and kept all the kids and even some adults entertained for an hour, ending with pictures and a birthday song for the birthday boy. I am really glad I chose Creative Parties – they definitely made the party a success.

My other great entertainment choice was hiring an amazingly talented balloon artist and face painter duo. Don from Don’s Twisted Balloons came by referral and I’ve got to admit that he is one of the most talented balloon artists I have ever seen. He does the most creative and difficult balloons and the kid’s loved them! What I also love about Don is that he comes with a big board of balloon options, which makes it easy for the kid’s to pick and choose there favorite. I am happy to report that all kids got at least one balloon and it was a complete hit at the party. Don’s partner, Erin from is an excellent face painter and also did some fabulous artwork on the kid’s and a couple of adults that jumped in line. The kid’s loved the entertainers, mommy got a break for a while, and everyone was happy – I couldn’t of asked for more. I am so happy with my decision to hire the entertainment and would hire these folks again in a heartbeat!

After reviewing all these fabulous photos and party details, I’m sure you could confidently guess that we had a BLAST at this Madagascar themed birthday party!! As always, I enjoyed putting every beautiful detail together and LOVED seeing it all come together beautifully in the end! Here are a couple of pictures of the hubby and I with the birthday boy – it’s all worth the smile on his face!

It was one “Circus” of a party if you ask me! If you would like some help in transforming your party (birthday, bridal, bachelorette, baby shower, anniversary party, etc.) into a FABULOUS event riddled with amazing decor and a creative theme, don’t hesitate to contact me as my talent is definitely for hire!

Fun Wedding Gifts

Getting married soon or planning on being a guest at an upcoming wedding? Looking for unique products for your home or a great gift for a birthday? If so, boy do I have a treat for you today – a site that will definitely come in handy in the near future. Please let me introduce you to Uncommon Goods, an online retailer that features unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment. A few cool facts about the company: most of the products they sell were created in the US, half of what they sell is handmade, and one-third of their products incorporate recycled and/or up cycled materials. Lastly, one other awesome thing about this company is their humanitarian efforts – they support 4 awesome charities that you can check out here.

Uncommon Goods definitely has some lovely and creative goodies for everyone, but today I’d like to focus on their wedding and anniversary gifts. I took some time to browse the site and check out their wedding gifts and I must admit that quite a few products caught my eye. What I love about the site is that they have such a great variety of products spanning wide range of budgets, and users are able to rate the products – I LOVE and live by reviews so this was a big plus for me! You can check out some wedding gifts options here.

After much internal debate I decided on two fun and useful libation products – a unique molecular mixology Mojito kit and an instant wine chiller. I loved both products so much that I thought I would share my personal review with you. The wine chiller was super easy to use, did an awesome job chilling my Rose wine, and I was amazed at how quickly it chilled the wine. I do agree with the wine chiller’s description that it “maintains the wine’s characteristics and doesn’t alter the taste”. If you are like me and have forgotten to put the wine in the fridge before a party or plain ‘ole dinner, this would be a great addition to your kitchen.

Now the molecular mixology mojito kit is a truly unique invention. If you love mojitos and are interested in trying something new, this kit offers 7 unique techniques to creatively construct and deconstruct a mojito. This is a fun project to try alone, with friends, or a significant other. This kit goes beyond bartending and will definitely make you feel like you just created something for Top Chef. The best part of it all is enjoying the fruits of your labor! I had a blast making this with my hubby and I’ve still got a few techniques to try out. (Btw if you are not a fan of Mojito’s they also offer similar kits for Margaritas and Cosmopolitans.)

I hope you enjoyed my 2 product reviews – which one would you be more likely to try? If you are the least bit curious of what other goodies you can find then I’d encourage you to head over to Uncommon Goods. I’d love to hear your thoughts so let me know your favorite product(s) or if you end up buying something, please let me know what you bought and your personal product review.

DIY Bumble Bee Baby Shower

Baby showers are such a joyous occasion! The mother-to-be is pampered, showered with gifts, and surrounded by loved ones celebrating the highly anticipated arrival of a precious bundle of joy. Today’s featured DIY baby shower is so adorable, full of lovely DIY projects, and definitely the bees knees.

This DIY Bumble Bee baby shower was created with love by Joanna & Lydia for the mommy-to-bee who loves Bumble Bees and simple colors such as white, light gray and yellow. With simplicity, elegance, and a brunch in mind the planning duo found an awesome venue and went to work on creating the bumble bee inspired décor.

The classic, elegant centerpieces were styled with white hydrangeas and adorned with twine holding tiny bees wrapped around the vases. Little white frames held simply decorated table numbers. The favors on the table included mini honey jars and a bee muslin bag held the silverware.

The dessert table was a focal point containing giant letters spelling out BABY were made from foam board and tissue squares glued onto the letters. Adorable hand made poms made from white and yellow tissue paper were decoratively placed throughout the private room. The “It’s a Boy” bunting made from silver letters and different colored papers added to the bumble bee ambiance. Delectable treats like golden Oreos with yellow filling, bumble bee imprinted Oreo cookies with yellow filling, and homemade turtle pretzels with yellow and chocolate details and an edible Bee embellishment filled the dessert table.

The rest of the bumble bee decor included a fun baby shower bingo with a bee embellishment, a framed baby shower announcement, a creative guestbook (Mommy to Bee’s favorite childhood book), and a memorable game called “What should the Name Bee”. where the mommy-to-be selected her favorite name and the guest who wrote the name received a Burt’s Bee’s gift set as a prize.

I am 28 years old, married for just over 2 years. I love throwing parties and planning events. I planned my wedding from start to finish as well as my mom’s and sister within the past two years. I have a beautiful home and love to entertain. I manage a wholesale gift company as well as work part time for a promotion company where I get to plan and execute events. Party hosting is currently just a hobby of mine but you never know what the future holds.

I hope you enjoyed this DIY bumble bee styled baby shower and if you love this idea and are looking for more bumble bee inspiration, then you’ll want to check out these two Bumble Bee inspiration boards! This baby shower definitely shows that you don’t have to spend a lot of money planning and decorating an event and sometimes simple just takes the cake!

Mermaid Themed 3rd Birthday Party

One of my talented dear friends just celebrated her daughters 3rd birthday party last month. Marsinah (from Blushing Pearl) did an amazing job styling this super cute and adorable birthday party – perfect for a little mermaid. Believe me when I say that this under the sea mermaid themed birthday party was full of creative details and I won’t tease you any longer with the suspense – check out the photos below and let us know what you think?

Here is the initial inspiration for the party – a lovely invitation Marsinah created for her daughter’s mermaid birthday party:

The Mermaid Birthday Girl

Mermaid Centerpiece

Mermaid Decor Details

Gift Bags

Cake Pops

Creative Activity for the Kids

Cake Table Decor

Mermaid Photo Props

Mermaid Photo Props

Mermaid Photo Props

The Party was a Success – a Happy Birthday girl!

{Vendors} Photo Backdrop, invitation, cake pops, favor bags – designed and created by Marsinah from Blushing Pearl | Cake topper & Sea Creatures – designed and created by A Paper Playground | Paper Poms – created by Pomtree

What I love about this party is that there were just enough details to pull off the mermaid theme but she didn’t break the bank to bring this sea dream to life. The color theme was fabulous and I adored the crepe paper/streamers backdrop and props for photos! (If you can’t afford a photo booth, this is a great alternative!) What was your favorite detail? What inspiration did you get from this party? What creative ideas do you have to fit this theme? Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear your ideas and feedback!

Great Gatsby 30th Birthday Party

My brother, his wife, and their close friend had the fun idea of throwing themselves a birthday party to say goodbye to their 20’s and hello to their “Dirty 30’s”! With the rage of the roaring 20’s following the release of the Great Gatsby last year, they decided no better way to celebrate in style and class than with a 1920’s Great Gatsby themed party.

PART’Y DETAILS

They booked the perfect venue for their event – Diamond’s Billiards in Brea, CA – not only did they have the perfect space to accommodate this creative party theme, but they were super flexible and easy to work with in planning the logistics, food and drinks, and music selection. Next, the party planning begin – guest list, invitation, 1920’s wardrobe, menu planning, details, and all of the other wonderful details that went into pulling off this elegant adults affair. Take a look at the end result – you’ll just love the FABULOUS details!

I wish I could take the credit for the beautiful and creative party decor, but the credit rightfully goes to the talented decorating sister duo – Nena & Lydia Banuelos. Inspired by the creative invitation above designed by Computer Art Nerd (Etsy shop), the elegant 1920’s Great Gatsby styled black and gold decor and a stunning dessert table and creative backdrop greeted dressed-up partygoers. These two ladies ran with the birthday couple’s vision and ideas, infusing creative elements (such as my brother’s unique vintage drink menu), and transforming the intimate space into a scene right out of the roaring 20’s.

I was blown away by the fact that every single person was uniquely dressed to fit the theme – I really felt like I went back in time and was in attendance at a Great Gatsby party or at a 1920’s popular nightclub. Besides the awesome decor – the music, food, and drinks were great! Not to mention the fabulous photo booth that was big hit and awesome addition to the party. Apparently some of us were addicted to the photo booth! Check out our photo obsession! We had such a blast, who would have thought a photo booth could be so much fun?!

10 Gorgeous DIY Christmas Decorations + Giveaway

Its the most wonderful time of the year – yep my FAVORITE time – Christmas!! Last year I put together some awesome DIY ideas in a 2 part post for delicious food and libations (DIY Holiday Dinner Party – Food & Drinks) AND amazing DIY decor ideas (DIY Holiday Dinner Party – Decor). This year I’m going to share some awesome DIY Christmas decorations that I have found across the web and Pinterest, PLUS I’ve got an amazing holiday giveaway for you as well!

{DIY Christmas Decorations} Here are a few of my favorite DIY Christmas Decorations I found. You’ll be sure to save some money this year by creating these beauties – no need for costly store decorations! For more inspiration, follow my DIY Christmas Decorations board on Pinterest.

Our winner will be chosen and announced on December 10, 2013 on 3D-Memoir’s Facebook page! One exciting last detail, Marsinah is offering all 3D-Memoirs readers a special discount code for 15% off your entire purchase in her shop until 12/18/13: CHEERS13. Rush on over and take a peek, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with something!

{DIY Christmas Inspiration}

This year I wanted to do a DIY Christmas decoration inspiration shoot, but I just couldn’t make it happen due to time constraints. So as a final takeaway, I wanted to share with you my DIY Christmas Floral Centerpiece that I made for less than $10. I bought the silk flowers, vase, ribbon, and gold Christmas trees from the Dollar Tree and I used pieces from old pinecones as the vase filler and the remaining pine cones as decorative pieces. I hope you like my creation!

Holidays For Heroes – Sending Christmas to our US Troops!

You may not know, but Christmas is my favorite holiday and time of the year! As a Christian, I love what it represents religiously and I truly enjoy the time spent with family, gift-giving, amazing food and desserts, festive decorations, the smell of a real Christmas tree and staring at the beautiful twinkling lights, cold weather and warm clothes, and good ‘ole Christmas songs. I feel confident in saying that there are many others like me that just absolutely love the Christmas holiday.

Recently I watched a TV show where they were interviewing military wives and one of the wives shared that her husband was brought to tears once by a stranger that approached him in the airport, shook his hand, and warmly thanked him for his service. The wives agreed that this sort of gesture doesn’t happen often but is very much appreciated by our soldiers. During the interview the host shared that he realized the previous year that a lot of active military personnel are away from their loved ones during Christmas or sadly do not have any close family or friends that they can expect to hear from during Christmas. The truly saddened me as I never before considered that during one of the most joyous times of the year, that there were US soldiers deployed, going without, separated from their families, and perhaps lonely. These individuals are selflessly defending my liberties & freedoms, a true sacrifice, while I celebrate Christmas and all that I love with my friends and family.

Truly touched by these realizations, I decided that this year I wanted to get involved and send care packages to our troops, reminding them that we appreciate their sacrifice and dedication, and are truly thankful for their service to our country. But I knew I couldn’t do this alone, so I reached out to a blogger friend to collaborate with on this project and I could not have found a better partner than Sara from Burnetts Boards! Being the amazing person that she is, she immediately jumped on board and loved the idea of sending holiday cheer to our military heroes.

How Can You Get Involved and Help?

The organization we’ve chosen to support is Operation Care Packages (http://www.operationcarepackages.org/Christmas/SendSantaToTheTroops.html). There are a few ways that you can participate sending Christmas to the troops AND we’ve got an amazing giveaway for one of our awesome participants!

1. Make one or more care package(s) for the troops (click here for a sample holiday care package wish list) Suggestion: Grab a friend or two, and/or involve your kids and put together care packages as a family. It’ll be a lot of fun and plus you will feel good doing it. (Don’t worry, you can definitely help without it being a financial burden, majority of the items can be found at the 99 cent store or the Dolllar Tree.) Send the package to: Operation Care Package, 611 Wilcox St., Joliet, IL 60435

2. Make a donation to help cover shipping costs or obtain supplies they are in need of OR sponsor a Christmas pack – you donate $25 and they will supply the care package. You may send a check or money order to: Operation Care Package, 611 Wilcox St., Joliet, IL 60435 or send a Paypal donation to proudarmysis4@sbcglobal.net.

5. Behold Designz has been awesome enough to create a FREE downloadable Christmas card specifically for Holidays for Heroes. You can simply print this card, write a kind word, and send it to our troops. (Click here to download and print the card.)

As you can see there are so many wonderful ways to participate. Feel free to do one of the items listed above or several – whatever your heart feels compelled to do will greatly be appreciated, plus the joy and smile that you are bringing to one or more military personnel is PRICELESS. See if you can rally your friends, family, co-workers, church, or social group to participate with you! Please share this on your favorite social media platforms (Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Google +, etc) and if you have a blog, invite your readers to participate. I would love for our troops to receive an overwhelming response of love, joy, and appreciation this Christmas and YOU can definitely help make a difference! I’ve chosen to stuff Christmas stockings with goodies for our soldiers, so make sure you are following 3DMemoirs on Instagram so you can see what I put together for our troops!

*GIVEAWAY* One last exciting detail, LOVE VS. DESIGN, has been kind enough to put together a wonderful package of $100 worth of holiday cards from their new customizable collection for one special participant!!

Instagram a picture of you with a military friend or family OR a picture of a military friend or family member by themselves or with other troops OR a picture of your participating gift (care package, card, letter, stamps, etc) AND use the hastag #holidaysforheroes

The participation contest will run from November 20, 2013 until 11:59pm PST on Dec 1, 2013.

DIY Baby Shower Candy Buffet

Oh sweet baby! This past weekend I put together the most vibrant and gorgeous candy buffet table for a baby shower. Filled with DIY projects, this creative candy buffet was a hit with the guests! I loved the final product so much that I couldn’t wait to share it with you. I hope that it provides you inspiration for your next baby shower or candy buffet.

The inspiration for this candy buffet came from this adorable Pink Safari baby shower invitation from Party City.

I loved the invitation because it shyed away from the ordinary by encompassing a fuchsia, pastel pink, white, and black color palette plus 2 different patterns – zebra print and leopard spots. I knew this was going to be a fun challenge for me to combine these various components together cohesively in a beautiful candy buffet.

First I searched around for appropriate “candy jars” and decided to go with a variety of different shapes, heights, widths, and sizes. I purchased vases from Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Michaels since I found them to be the best retail options. (I also purchased some from a wholesaler I have membership to called Shinoda’s.) DIY alert: To add additional height to 2 of the cylinder vases, I simply purchased a glass candlestick holder from the Dollar Tree and glued it to the base of the vase. For added accents, I bought various ribbons matching the theme colors and patterns and hot glued them to the vases. (The best way to do this is to tape one end of the ribbon to the vase, wrap it around and then hot glue the other end of the ribbon to the overlapping ribbon base. This way you can always pull off the ribbon and reuse the vase for a future event.)

Note: remember when you are looking for vases for a candy buffet you don’t want to get anything with a skinny neck that would make using tongs or a scooper difficult for your guests to grab the candy.

Next, being a big DIY fan as you know, I decided to make a tissue paper tassel garland and make the banner, instead of purchasing one. Thanks to HGTV’s DIY instructions I was able to pull off a beautiful complimentary tissue paper garland tassel for the candy buffet table. It is really easy to make, cost effective, and a gorgeous decoration addition to any event or themed table. I am sure this won’t be the last one you see from me.

For the banner I came up with a creatively cute idea, instead of the typical “It’s a Girl” or “Baby Shower”, I came up with “Oh Sweet Baby”, which I thought was the perfect word play to tie together the event and the candy buffet. I made the letters on my computer, cut them, and then adhered them to patterned scrapbooking paper. Then I punched holes in the top and strung ribbon through each letter. It came out beautifully and was a perfect addition to the backdrop for the candy buffet table. Lastly, adding a few paper pin wheels from Party City along with the banner made for an amazing backdrop.

A huge plus for this gorgeous candy buffet were the fitted white rectangular linen and the fuchsia table runner from Linen Tablecloth. The quality of the linen was amazing and elegant plus it just looked so much better than a paper or plastic tablecloth would have. The satin table runner had the perfect brilliant fuchsia color making everything on the table pop! At only $2.39 it is a steal of a deal! I really do recommend purchasing linens from Linen Tablecloth because they are really affordable (usually cheaper than renting) and they provide quality linen that you can re-use over and over again. If you don’t believe my raves then head over to their site www.linentablecloth.com – read the reviews and try for yourself!

Last but not least, in addition to the candy I added elements like fuchsia boa’s from the Dollar Tree, extra tissue paper tassels, a picture frame, small vase with carnations, candy scoopers, and matching favor bags from Party City with Thank You stickers. Take a look at how it all came together beautifully! (Make sure you check out my tips for pulling off a beautiful candy buffet table below.)

For my first candy buffet table I was really blown away with the results once I was able to visually see everything blend together beautifully. I encourage you, especially my DIY readers, to do a candy or dessert buffet and share the photos with me, I’d love to see your creation and I’m always looking for beautiful content and DIY projects to share on the blog! Please contact me if you have something you think would be perfect to share on 3D-Memoirs!

Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! I’d also love it if you could be so kind as to PIN the photos on Pinterest and/or share the post on FB or Twitter! Also, if you didn’t know 3D-Memoirs is now on INSTAGRAM! Follow me @3DMemoirs for lovely wedding inspiration, party ideas, and more DIY projects! I look forward to connecting with you soon!

Here are a couple of tips for a successful candy buffet table:

Add height and depth by utilizing various vases/jars, staggering on the table, and/or adding decorative boxes or crates for some of the vases to sit on

Make sure you buy enough candy to fill the vases/jars at least 3/4 of the way